Those Who Hunt for Honor
by LouEthelip
Summary: Rits-chan finds love within her world.
1. Chapter 1

Those Who Hunt For Honor

By

Louis

The group known as Those Who Hunt Elves had arrived at yet another town in their search for the missing spell fragments. Because the sun was nearing the horizon it was decided that Airi and Ritsuko would go into town to pick up food supplies while Mistress Celcia and Junpei stayed behind to help set up camp.

As they did their shopping they realized this mission would be a little more difficult than usual. Because of the fact that everybody had their heads covered it was impossible to determine who were the elves and who were the humans. The men wore hats on their heads while the women covered themselves with a form of a shawl.

It caused Airi to remark that it made her feel like the time she was doing a film where she had to portray an early American puritan, or maybe someone from the current Amish community without the aversion for modern devices. While the villagers didn t seem to shun the pair for not having their heads covered it did make them feel self-conscious enough to go into a nearby store and buy some shawls for themselves and a hat for Junpei so it would help them look more native.

The pair was walking back with groceries in each arm along the cobblestone sidewalk when the younger of the two took an accidental step causing her ankle to move in a way she wasn t prepared. Then in the next step an audible crack was heard and Rits-chan collapsed to the ground spilling the supplies they had just bought.

Placing Ritsuko on the curb, Airi began to pick up the provisions while her mind began to think how she was going to get the items back to camp. It was too much for her to carry in one trip, then there was the issue of the teenaged girl who looked like she d be in great pain if forced to walk all the way back to the base.

A cart driven by two horses was seen coming down the street. Driving the device was a teenage boy. Stopping the cart he noticed the scene before his eyes.

Need any assistance ladies? ,the lad spoke to the pair.

While Airi was more than capable of performing this task she was not above accepting help from another. Putting on her damsel in distress acting persona. She showed appreciation for the offer. The young man secured the harness rope to a nearby pole and happily assisted. In no time the provisions were back in their sacks and the young man placed them in the back of the wagon where they could be the first items unloaded.

When Ritsuko tried to stand up however the pain in her ankle could not prevent her from falling forward. However before she could hit the ground the young man caught her in his arms. Before she had a chance to protest the teenager put his free hand under the back of her knee s and scooped her up into his arms so she could be carried to the wagon. He assisted Airi to the step that led to the front.

So ladies, where are you heading? ,the youth inquired.

We re camped out a couple of miles east of town. ,informed Airi.

Hey, that s great. My farm is in that same general direction.

You own a farm? ,teased Ritsuko.

Well actually my parents owns the farm. I just do a lot of work on it.

As the trio drove their cart to the camp Airi was making mental observations about the individual who had picked them up. The most obvious of these thoughts was that he was very interested in Ritsuko. This was no surprise. After all the schoolgirl looked to be about the same age as he was. Yet for all of her tomboy qualities she had never stopped behaving in ways that were equally feminine. He also spoke differently to the two women. With Airi his tone was strong, his mannerism was professional but when his attention was back on Ritsuko his voice became softer, gentler. The lad had a definite case of puppy love.

So what is your name? ,finally asked Airi to the youngster.

Oh, I m sorry. Everybody here calls me Nick. Short for Nicolas. I prefer being called Nick though.

Well first of all Nick thanks for helping a couple of damsel s in distress. I wasn t sure how we were going to get back to camp after Ritsuko s fall.

My pleasure Ma am. After all my mother use to say we should help each other whenever we could. Speaking of which Miss ..Ritsuko was it? Is your ankle feeling better yet?

The young lady tried to turn her ankle gently but her groans were enough proof that she found it uncomfortable.

Too bad Doc Mooney is out today. We also don t have a healer who could take care of it. Of course the Doc will be back tomorrow and if you want I ll be more than happy to pick you up and have him take a look at you.

The three continued engaging in small talk until they had reached the camp. Grabbing what looked like an large bandage most likely for the horses he then carried Ritsuko over to a nearby picnic table. Cautiously taking off her shoe and sock, he began to carefully tape the foot and ankle in an X pattern. One wrap around the ankle then another under the arch of the foot. He moved slowly, carefully making sure to tape tight enough to hold but not so tight it was going to cause pain to the women he was trying so hard to help. Occasionally Airi couldn t help but notice sometimes his free hand would rest just above her knee which made her wonder if he was doing it for balance or to be able to get a free rub of her tender skin in a understandable but still slightly perverted move. Of course when his hand got a little too high for comfort Ritsuko let out a very audible , not so subtle clearing of her throat which caused him to remove the offending fingers immediately.

Upon completion he helped Ritsuko down and tried to help her walk on the taped ankle. This was partly to help avoid the swelling from getting so bad it would lock up. Though again in Airi s observations she wasn t sure if he also was also doing it because he was enjoying having her body lean against him while he held her around the waist.

As the sun was beginning to set Nick realized he had to get home quickly. Before his departure though Ritsuko gave him a kiss on his cheek as a show of gratitude that appeared to have flustered him. As his cart started fading off into the sunset Airi approached Ritsuko.

Got to admit you handled that situation well. , the actress observed.

Oh he was nothing Miss Airi. Back home I knew boy s who were a lot more grabby than he was. If he went too far I always had the infamous kick between the legs available to me. THAT would have definatly discouraged him.

Soon the giant karate machine Junpei and the elder of all common Elves Mistress Celcia Marie Claire rejoined the group having finished their own investigations of the area. The first thing Celcia noticed was the giant bandage around Ritsuko s ankle. The tale of the injury and the saga of the youth she and Airi had come across was told to the transformed dog. Using her magic Mistress Celcia healed the injury enough to allow maximum movement by the young girl for which she was very thankful.

That night the group gathered around a warm fire to discuss strategy to determine which of the ladies of the town were human and which were the elves. During the conversation however Ritsuko seemed to not be paying attention. More than one time Mistress Celcia would wave her paw in front of her face and say.

Earth to Rits-chan. Earth to Rits-chan!

It would snap the young girl out of her dream world for a few moments but eventually she would get lost in thought again. Finally the group determined that if she couldn t keep her mind on the discussion that it would be best if she headed for bed. As she climbed on top of the tank she discovered the bandage that had surrounded her ankle earlier in the day. Rolling it up into a mini ball she laid it down like a pillow, resting her tired head on it. In that moment the young teen came to a conclusion.

She was in love. 


	2. Chapter 2

As promised Nick arrived early the next morning to take Rits-chan to the town doctor as he had promised in their previous meeting. Though he tried to hide it Airi could see he was a little disappointed to learn that her injury had been taken care of by a healer though the name was never mentioned. After all had Mistress Celcia s name had been mentioned it would have created questions that the group did want to answer.

He didn t stay long that day but he did leave a little gift for the group. Farm fresh food was given to help supplement their meals for which the foursome was thankful. The next day it was a small bag of beef jerky that came from their smokehouse. This started a pattern for the next several days . He would drop by in the morning on the way into town to bring some of the latest crops from the farm. He would stop by long enough to see if they needed anything from town. Then on his way back he d stop long enough to spend time with Ritsuko and to drop off anything that had been asked for by the group.

The group had different idea s about the young man. Junpei was continually suspicious of the lad believing he was using Rits-chan as a chance to make a play for Airi who in his mind belonged to him. Mistress Celcia overall liked the young man but felt he held back a lot of conflicting emotions though she also admitted that she often found human emotions at war from within. Airi kept most of her opinions to herself but did say to the rest that the teen at the very least deserved credit for having good taste in girls.

One day though Ritsuko was asked if she could go into town with him. An offer that she was more than happy to accept. As they drove into town together the young lady couldn t help but think of this as a date. Though as Nick explained what would be happening today it while there would be time for fun between the two of them his first concern was to take care of the crops he was bringing into town.

As the pair traveled they used the opportunity to learn more about each other. Rits-chan did everything she knew to avoid certain words like Elf-hunter or Those Who Hunt Elves . After all she wasn t sure what his reaction would be if he found out who she really was. The conversation was lively and the company was pleasant all the way into town. Once in town it was a short trek to the marketplace and the person Nick needed to meet. A middle aged man who ran one of the stores in the market.

The transaction looked to be pretty straightforward to Ritsuko. After confirming the price that was going to be paid for their supplies Some men for the store owner began unloading the cart under the watchful eye of Nick.

Everything was proceeding well until a group of 5 boys got within their general vicinity. They looked to be maybe a little older than Ritsuko and Nick was. Without reason they began to shout in their general direction.

So ol Dirt blood is in town.

Ritsuko was confused by the comment. Were they talking to her?

Hey Half-Breed. Over here!

When she saw Nick s reaction it was obvious who the comments were being directed at. He held on to the side of his wagon until his knuckles were turning white. She could almost hear his teeth gnashing. She could hear him trying to breath in a way to calm down but his eye s began to show real indications of anger when a rock struck him in the middle of the back.

Did that get your attention you freak.

Hey girlie. Why don t you leave that walking freak show and come over here with some real men.

Or are you a half-breed too?

Yeah, she must have dirty blood too.

At the last remark Nick s head spun so fast Ritsuko was afraid it was going to snap off the spine. She saw the fire of rage in his eyes. Moving towards the gang she pulled on his arm not to do what his body language clearly suggested he was going to do. He walked straight up to the individual who looked to be the leader of the posse until he was nose to nose with him.

You ve got three seconds to apologize to her before your nose comes out of the back of your head. , he threatened.

His opponent looked at Nick no doubt checking to see if he would back down though it was equally obvious he wasn t. The antagonist began nodding his head and signaled his guy s to start leaving. Ritsuko was glad that there would be no fight.

The retreat only last one step then the leader swung around and tried to sucker punch Nick while the others all had the same idea. Nick must have realized that they were going to do this. He ducked the initial blow then struck with a blow to the head. Then with the elbow of the same arm drew back catching the 2nd attacker before moving forward coming into contact with a 3rd assailant. All this took place faster than it would take to tell of its happening.

Ritsuko had seen Junpei fight on many occasions. However when he fought there was control. He d be willing to wait for the one moment when his attack would be the most effective. Usually he d only need one blow to dispatch even multiple opponents. By comparison Nick was like a human tornado swinging at anything near his vicinity. After the successful attack on the first three opponents the fourth member of the mob managed to connect with the back of his head yet in his anger Nick didn t seem to be affected by it. Instead he grabbed the adversary by the ears and head butted him 3 times before he fell to the ground. The fifth member of the group seeing what had happened ran away before he got hit. Then the leader grabbed a nearby two by four with the intention of striking Nick. By reflex Ritsuko pulled out the gun from her skirt pocket but realized that Nick was in the line of fire. As the board came down Nick spun to his right avoiding the blow and without stopping did a complete revolution ending with a blow on the ear which destroyed the equilibrium.

As the attackers tried to stand up Nick screamed at the top of his lungs.

WHO S NEXT! WHO S READY TO GET KICKED BY A HALF-BREED FREAK!

The opponents decided to run instead of fight while Ritsuko looked on in amazement over what she had seen. It took several seconds after their departure before he looked to have calmed down. However when he looked at Ritsuko she saw an expression of chagrin and embarrassment. His mood was more subdued that it had been before the fight. When the supplies were completely unloaded he talked to her in a voice she had never heard before. It was a voice that sounded ashamed for what he had done and what she had witnessed.

Sorry I spoiled everything. I just have one more delivery to make then I ll take you home.

Lightly placing her hand on his forearm Ritsuko tried to be assuring to Nick. That if he wanted to he didn t have to alter whatever plans he had for them that day. She could see the relief in his eye s that she hadn t thought less of him from the incident. Getting the payment for the provisions the pair continued on their journey. From their carriage Nick showed her the sights of the town. The town was much bigger than what Miss Airi and her had seen on their earlier shopping trip. He showed her a variety of stores that sold everything from clothing to a blacksmith shop where Nick dropped off his horses exchanging them for fresh ones. He explained that the new horses belonged to the family and that they get dropped off so the blacksmith could check the condition of their legs, inspect their shoes and make any needed changes or replacements. The change of horses made sense as their adventure took them into more mountainous areas. Though not steep the original horses might have a tougher time with the terrain than the fresh horses.

It would take another half hour before the sourness of the incident would be seemingly removed. The sun had reached it apex in the sky when an audible rumble was heard from Ritsuko s stomach indicating that she was getting hungry. Feeling mortified the feeling was lessened by the fact that Nick actually gave a good natured laugh over the incident.

Yeah I m hungry too. We re almost at our stop and we ll be able to eat there safely. , Nick stated.

Safely? ,quizzed Ritsuko.

Yeah, I mean we could eat here but there are always the dangers of wild animal s about. Though it s not a 100% fool proof most wildlife would prefer avoiding human homes or places where there would be large fires. However if they re hungry enough that hunger could override what they consider a dangerous area.

It was less than 10 minutes before she would see their destination. A rustic cabin with an elderly man sitting on the top steps surrounded by artistic wooden artwork. He held a large piece of wood in his hands and was whittling it with a knife that had no doubt been longer in day s gone by. Pulling up to the front Nick and the elderly man exchanged greetings before quickly getting down to business. Unlike the town where goods were exchanged for money. This was more of a barter. Nick provided some vegetables and beef jerky while the elderly man provided supplies like molasses, wild honey, and something called corn mash and threw in some of his wooden artwork. With the negotiations over and the supplies exchanged Nick asked if he and Ritsuko could have lunch at the cabin. The man heartily agreed. Nick went to the wagon and pulled out a picnic basket that had been hidden while the old man escorted Ritsuko into his house.

It is rare that get guests to come here. Nick of course does arrive once a week to swap and barter but outside of him its pretty lonely here. It ll be nice to have some extra company, So tell me how did Nick manage to corral such a beauty like you? , he stated.

Feeling her cheeks beginning to flush red with embarrassment she looked over to Nick who cheeks had already turned the same hue. He looked like he wanted to say something to the old man but couldn t determine the words that would be the most effective. The three sat down for a nice lunch. The elderly man had been cooking a meaty stew that had Ritsuko s mouth watering long before he served it. Along side he added some carrots and what looked like creamed corn except that instead of the cream being white it looked more brownish. Then she took a small taste and realized the brown cream was actually molasses mixed in with other items she couldn t get a fix on. The food was as delicious as it was filling. By the time she was finished eating she felt her belly would cause her skirt to pop open. The elderly man made several inquires if she was really full or if she was just saying that to avoid hurting his feelings.

When satisfied that she really meant she had truly had enough to eat he left momentarily which gave her and Nick a chance to be alone. There had been something that was on her mind and though she wasn t sure if now was a good time to ask she decided to be bold.

Nick, I ve been wanting to ask you. I m not sure if you want to talk about it and if you don t I ll understand and back off. Still when those boy s back in town called you a half-breed what were they talking about?

At first Nick looked at her with disbelief as if she couldn t know what the term meant. Of course she was new in town so he decided to quiz her.

What do you think they meant by the term?

Well where I m from there are many different meanings. Generally summed up it means two different backgrounds. They could be of two different races, or religions. Sometimes it could be social or economical. The only common denominator is the fact that the two come from different backgrounds.

Fair enough. Well one of those describes me.

Nick paused for a moment as if pondering something before speaking again.

There is something I d like to show you. Would you care if we took a little detour on our way back?

After concluding their visit with the elderly man Nick and Ritsuko got back on the wagon and proceeded to move up the mountain further. They once again had fun just being together, talking about whatever felt comfortable.

Until Nick came to a clearing overlooking a cliff. Then he got very serious. His focus was straight ahead of them as they spoke.

I m taking you to a place that is very special for our townspeople. You see not too long ago our town was not what you see today. Our town was the site of some of the worst battles you could have ever imagined. There was nothing but total hatred between the Human s and the Elves. Outsiders were convinced that we would wind up destroying ourselves.

Just as they reached the clearing Nick stopped the cart. Getting down first he moved around the cart to assist Ritsuko down. The clearing had very lush looking grass, neatly cut, obviously well taken care of. In the middle of the area was a couple of long white benches and near its edge was the figure of a man holding two smaller figures. One looked to be a human male, the other an elf female. In a large circle about 200 yards in area was a painted white circle. As the pair approached it Nick stuck his hand out to stop Ritsuko s progress before they crossed the white line.

We have to take off our shoes and socks here because this has been designated a holy area.

While Ritsuko wanted to admit to Nick that she was an agnostic she could see this was important to him so she complied. As she took her first step with her bare foot in the area she felt the softness of the grass, how it had the gentleness of a shag carpet that almost made her bottom of her feet tickle. The pair made their way to one of the benches where they sat down.

During that time there were certain things that you just didn t do. If you belonged to one side either human or elf you didn t dare be seen associating with the enemy and the thought of dating someone from the other side was one of the worst taboo s you could have committed. Well my parents met and according to them the attraction between them was instant. One problem. My father was one of those dumb barbaric human s to the elves, while my mother was a wimpy, freakish, elf to the humans.

While they were dating they did their best to keep the affair quiet. However secrets rarely stay that way. A person in town found out about them and spread the info to everybody. Needless to say the pressure to break their relationship was intense on both sides. However as my parents told me later. The love they had for each other was greater than the hatred the rest of the world had for them. They wound up getting married in secret because no public church would marry them out of fear of reprisal s from one of the sides. A few years later I was born. My parents didn t hide the truth about these things from me. They felt I needed to know these things.

At the height of the war a holy man by the name of Pope Keemo came to our village determined to end the years of warfare. He actually stood two of the opposing forces stating if they were going to continue this war that he would be the next casualty. Well of course the human s weren t going to kill him but by this time he was well respected by the elders of the elves community too so his words carried considerable weight. That day he brought the leaders for both sides to this mountain and they began the process of negotiating a peace. However before that day happened came a tragedy.

One night a band of vigilantes came to our home. My parents saw them coming so they hid me in a secret cellar which we also used to store supplies. I had to keep quiet but I heard everything that happened upstairs. How they beat up my father, my mother. I still remember their screams. Then I heard this sound. I can t describe it but I ll never forget it. It turned out the sound was my house being burned to the ground. The next morning I opened the trap door and saw the charred bodies of my parents and everything that mattered to me in my world burned to ashes. When they were laid to rest the only people who showed up was myself, Pope Keemo who did the service, and three villagers. Eventually Pope Keemo did work out a peace between the elves and the humans but it was too little, too late to save my parents.

He paused for a moment to wipe his tears away. It was obviously still a traumatic moment for him to relive. Ritsuko listened to the heartbreaking tale. It was little wonder why he exploded on the bullies like he did. She tried to imagine what it was like to live with those memories for all these years. She had heard the saying years ago that time heals all wounds but this wound had not healed. In fact it seemed like the wound had gotten infected and festered. It was actually amazing that Nick hadn t become so bitter over the death of his parents that he didn t hate all humans and all elves. He never said which side caused the fire. Maybe even he didn t know but it seemed like he still blamed both sides. Then the young man continued to speak.

After their deaths the fun really began for me. The families of my parent would have nothing to do with their freakish half-breed bastard child. Eventually though I was adopted by my current family who bless them never treated me any different than their own children and believe me they have plenty of them. When the human s and the elves finally decided to end the war this place was erected. It was to remind us of the past. It was a place where we could reflect on the lost lives and to pray. I ve spent many an afternoon here after seeing the old man.

If I m not being too nosy what did you pray for? , Ritsuko asked.

At first I asked for help to stop me from the hate I felt for the world. When I became a teen though that changed. Though peace held in our community the thought of dating an half human / half elf child was still considered a bit of a absurd idea. I prayed with all my heart to find someone who could love me the way my mother and father loved each other.

He took another deep breath before finishing his thoughts.

I think what I was praying for was someone like you.

Nick paused before continuing.

I haven t spoken about these things for many years. I really don t know why I say these things to you now except ..I see a lot of my birth mother in you. Not physically but I see her kindness, empathy, gentleness in you. I also love you a lot and one thing my birth parents taught me was to never have secrets from the one you love. Of course some things I wanted to wait and tell you but obviously that didn t work out.

He looked up and gave her a weak smile as she also saw the tears coming down his face. She reached around to hug him and he returned the embrace intensely. She could feel his body shaking in his emotional state. Just as she once used him to lean against for her bad ankle she would now gladly be the one to be leaned on by him.

As they embraced Ritsuko began to nuzzle her nose against Nick s cheek slowly bringing her lips near his to give it a light kiss. At first he drew back to look at her giving a look of wonder if what just happened was real. Then he brought his face closer to her to respond with a soft kiss of his own. This time the kiss was stronger, more meaningful and passionate. When they separated their lips they embraced each other lovingly. Looking up Ritsuko could see the statue of Pope Keemo. She wasn t sure if what she saw was an optical illusion or not but she could swear it was real.

The statue seemed to be smiling. 


	3. Chapter 3

It was close to dark when Nick finally returned Ritsuko to camp. The others were relieved to see the return of their comrade. It was obvious that the late return had them concerned.

Ritsuko, I won t be here tomorrow. I have a special job to do for the farm. However would you guys be interested in coming over to our place tomorrow night for dinner? Get some homemade food?

The offer was eagerly accepted by the group. After getting directions from Nick he drove away then came the questioning of Ritsuko by the others. She did her best to answer the questions without giving away too many details. Junpei s questions had to do mostly with how far did the two of them go physically on the date while Airi wanted to find out details that were more personal and intimate. By comparison Celcia kept very quiet only adding a question or two in conjunction with one of the other questions. When the grilling was over the quartet had a hearty meal. Throughout the meal however one thought ran constantly through the teenagers mind. However she would wait until later to talk about and do so in private with the person she needed to ask.

It didn t take long for the chance to present itself. After the meal Ritsuko was clearing the table and Mistress Celcia was still sitting down. With Airi and Junpei gone the timing was perfect. Telling the elder of common elves what Nick had told her about the war between human s and elves she asked how much of what he had said was truth and how much of it was exaggeration. At first Mistress Celcia didn t seem comfortable with the subject but the teenager was determined to know the truth. Finally wearing her down by the constant questions Celcia responded.

Yes, It is pretty much like Nick said. If he did any embellishing it wasn t by much. The war in this area was pretty intense by the time the stories of it reached my ears. Finally Pope Keemo and myself decided to go to the town to try and stop the violence. However at the last minute something happened that forced me to back out. I suggest to Pope Keemo that we postpone the visit just for a few days until I could take care of the matter then we d go together. He refused to stand by and hear about other people being killed. He took a very brave stand. I shudder to think what would have happened if he hadn t been so bold. Of course I also shudder to think what would have happened if he had failed. Because of his faith he succeed and I m both grateful to him and yet at the same time a little jealous that he made sure to have the time when I didn t.

Seeing that this was still a vulnerable topic Ritsuko thought it was best not to make it worse by asking more questions. Besides she already had the piece of the puzzle she was looking for. As the group began to get ready for sleep they wondered what adventures might be waiting for them when the sun rose in the morning.

The next morning the wagon from the farm arrived at the camp as usual. However instead of Nick on board driving the horses it was three women. One looked to be the same age as Nick though even slimmer than Ritsuko. The younger two looked to be in their pre-teen years. The eldest of the trio then introduced themselves and asked. They were dressed in blue jeans and worker shirts.

Hi I m Robin, this is Raven and Lark. Is Ritsuko Inoue here?

Stepping forward from the group Ritsuko said hi. The teenager expressed relief that she had found the right camp.

Unload the supplies for our guests Raven. Lark if there is anything they need while we re in town today write it down. I need to talk with Miss Ritsuko alone for a short while.

Awwwww Robin! , moaned the two younger girls.

Remember what mama told you. If you aren t on your best behavior I m to turn the cart around and go back and not get your dresses. You do want your new dresses for the festival don t you?

That statement quieted the younger two girls down who obeyed the orders of their elder sister without further complaint. Walking away from the main group Robin began to talk with Ritsuko.

My brother has told me a lot about you Miss Ritsuko. At first he spoke about you in such terms I thought for sure he was just making you up. Then he asked me to stop by here on my way to town so I began to think you were real. He s really fallen hard for you. Do you know that?

Yeah, he s a sweet guy. , replied Ritsuko.

I have to ask you though. How do you feel about Nick?

I think he s a wonderful.

I don t know how much he s told you about himself Miss Ritsuko. He doesn t speak of it. For example. Did he tell you that he s my adopted brother?

Yes he did. He also told me about how his parents were murdered and that one was an elf and the other a human.

Now it was Robin s turn to behaved in a surprised manner.

He actually told you about that? He really has fallen for you hasn t he. He doesn t like to talk about that with anybody.

Ritsuko then told her about the fight with the bullies at the farmers market. How they called him a half-breed, the fight and then later on the confession of his mixed birth.

Look Miss Ritsuko, I m no good at verbal fencing so I ll get straight to the point. Do you love my brother?

The bluntness of the question caught Ritsuko by surprise. Her expression was obvious to Robin.

Look I m asking because I m very protective of him. He has taken good care of the family. He looks out for us and wouldn t tolerate any of us being mistreated. Because of that I want to make sure he doesn t get hurt either. One girl in our town tried to play with his heart. She made him think she loved him and then humiliated him in front of a lot of people. That was unforgivable and by the time I was done with her you can believe she never would do that with another mans heart again. So I ask you again. Do you love my brother?

Yes, I honestly do love Nick. . , came the honest reply from Ritsuko.

Looking at Ritsuko intensely Robin appeared to be measuring the sincerity of the words being spoken. Seeing if they were honestly meant.

In that case Miss Ritsuko we are friends. I look forward to having you over at the house tonight for dinner. I KNOW Nick will love seeing you too.

If you don t mind my asking Robin, before he left yesterday Nick said he had something that had to be taken care of. Would it be prying to ask what that would be?

Thinking for a second Robin answered back.

That s a fair question. Quite simple really. Once a month Nick goes on a search party to see if any wild animals are getting too near to our farm. If he can he ll drive them off. If he can t then he ll have no choice but to shoot them. This has to be done or else our livestock will be in danger from these predators. Our biggest problems comes from the wolves because around here they hunt in packs. That is unless it s a King Wolf who always hunts alone. I ve heard stories about a King Wolf who took down a buffalo. So you can imagine why they have to be killed if spotted.

It sounds like Nick could get seriously hurt or killed doing this.

Robin nodded her head in agreement to the statement.

Of course Nick does what he can to protect himself. He takes precautions and doesn t do anything that would increase his chances of getting hurt. Also he s also a skilled marksman with a rifle. Yes, there are dangers but he s been doing this long enough that he knows what he s doing. He ll be all right. Also I don t think anything is going to stop him from seeing you tonight.

The girls had a good giggle over the comment. It gave Ritsuko a sense of calm that she would see the boy she had fallen for that evening. Before the conversation could continue however Lark had found the pair and began to pull on Robin s arm asking if they could leave now. The eldest sister stood up and gave Ritsuko one last piece of advice.

At the end of the week there is going to be a festival in town. It s a pretty big deal and one of the highlights is were the girls get to chase after the boy s and if you can get your shawl tied to a boy then he ll do whatever you want for the rest of the night. Of course with Nick he d do that for you anyway.

But, why didn t he tell me that on our date yesterday?

That is part of the tradition. Though most of the boy s drop less the subtle hints they re not suppose to ask the girl they want to be their date at the festival. Nick however has never had a girl ask him to the festival so usually he ll take one of his younger sisters as his proxy date. Oh and if you do ask him don t tell him I was the one who made the suggestion. He ll think I was trying to pry into his private life. Which granted I am but for a good cause.

Feeling the continued pulling of her arm by Lark it was time for Robin to say goodbye to Ritsuko and take her sisters to town. As the trio got on the wagon Robin made an offer to the group.

I know Nick gave you directions to our place but if you re willing you could all come into town with us then after we get the dresses we can return to the farm together. Less of a chance of getting lost that way. What do you think?

The group looked at each other and nodded their heads thinking that this was a wonderful idea. While Airi, Junpei, and Celcia sat down leaning against the walls of the wagon with Lark and Raven, at the front of the cart Robin and Ritsuko sat talking in lower tones obviously so that the others would have no idea what was being said.

It was as close to being a normal day as Rits-chan had experienced in this world she had been thrust into. For a time this was no different than when she was back home shopping at the mall with her teenage friends, or maybe getting school outfits with her mother. A couple of times she even saw a few outfits that had her dreaming of how she would look in them if she had the money to buy them. The experience left her a little less homesick for Japan.

Sometimes Lark and Raven wanted to get outfits that Robin overruled them on for various reasons. Sometimes it was for cost but other times it was for what she felt was inappropriateness. Though it took a few hours to finish the shopping some outfits were purchased that satisfied both of the younger girls desires to look good and the elder sister s other requirements over cost and suitability. Throughout the adventure Miss Airi and Celcia proved invaluable keeping an eye on one of the girls while the other was in the changing room. Junpei did a lot of grumbling like most males did in this situation having nothing to do. It was his own private purgatory. Occasionally Airi couldn t help but notice Ritsuko picking a dress off the rack and holding it against her body as if trying to process a picture in her mind of how she would look in it. It made Airi realize that even though the rest of the group treated Rits-chan as an adult and their equal they had forgotten that in real life terms she is still very much a teen who has always shown herself to be wiser and more mature than her years should have produced.

It took a few hours before Lark and Raven found dresses that they liked and Robin approved of to purchase. Getting back into the wagon Airi continued to inspect Rits-chan actions and reactions. As she watched something began to concern the actress. Something she couldn t figure out how to put into words yet but there was no doubt it would be a subject she s have to talk about with Ritsuko in a very careful manner.

The trek towards the farm was full of fun, All shared songs they knew with the others who joined in as they became comfortable with the lyrics. It gave the outing a family affair appeal to it. It too almost an hour before they crossed the top of the hill to see the farm. The newcomers were amazed by the size of the operation. In one section they could see the crops as they grew. Another area was for the various farm life each perfectly separated from the others so the pigs didn t mingle with the cows, or the horses from the goats. Near the barn were two other buildings, both whom had smoke coming out of their chimney s. Robin explained the smaller one was the smokehouse where they made jerky while the larger one was the house. The entire operation stretched out over several acres. There were many figures working each area of the farm. Then as they got closer they noticed that the overwhelming amount of workers were in their teenage or pre-teen years.

Are all these workers members of your family? , inquired Airi.

Robin seemed surprised by the remark.

Oh goodness no. Our family is big but not that big. There are 15 children in our family. The rest are workers. Our farm is sort of like an apprenticeship program for many of the local towns people. Some work the fields in exchange for food for their families, we have a couple who are learning about caring for animals like a veterinarians. At the end of the season if we show a profit they get some money. it s a win-win situation for everyone.

As the wagon pulled up to the house Robin shouted towards the house that they were home and had brought their guests with them. The door opened from the house and this elderly looking women walking with a cane came out to great them. There was a slow pace and small gait to her walk even with the walking aid. Her face showed the years she had lived had been hard on her but still showed a kindness and gentleness.

Robin, I need you to go inside and help finish cooking dinner. I ll look after our guests.

Yes mama. The eldest girl replied while the younger two girls took the horses into the stables.

Until dinnertime Junpei and Airi spent time with the mother in casual conversation. There they learned that her husband had passed away a few years earlier and that between the kids and the locals who worked on the farm they ve been able to keep it going. The farm was the mother s when she inherited it from her parents when they died in the towns civil war.

While talking to the elderly women Airi kept a watchful eye on Rits-chan who had spent the time playing with some of the children. Tossing a ball, playing tag, typical teenage goofing around. Airi wondered to herself if Ritsuko ever looked happier. She looked like she was forgetting for the moment that she was a stranger in a strange land. That the longer the threesome stayed in this world the greater the greater the probability of this world and their own world would be destroyed.

It was nearing sunset when a wagon approached from the west. One of the little girls ran to the elderly women telling her that Nick had returned. The women stood up and walked towards the cart. By the time the cart came to a stop near the front of the house Rits-chan along with the other children had already surrounded the cart. In the back of the cart were several wolves and a large brown bear that had obviously all been shot. One of the girls looked at the bear and gasped. She then turned to Nick..

You shot old Ben? , she protested.

Looking sympathetically at the little girl Nick explained.

He was suffering. Looks like he was finally kicked out of his pack. When I found him he had collapsed trying to reach for some berries. Even when he saw me he was unable to stand up. He was dying and all I could think of to do was put him out of his suffering. Trust me I didn t enjoy it. Besides if he had died more wolves and other predators would have come for his meat.

Before he had a chance to get off the cart and turn around Ritsuko already had flung her arms around her boyfriend to give him a kiss of welcome. He appeared to be quite happy to see his girlfriend again. It didn t take long though for the pair to silently move quietly from the throng of people unnoticed until it was announced that it was time for dinner. Then several people including Miss Airi started looking around for them. The actress found them behind the house standing under the shade of a large tree. Rits-chan was doing an admirable job of flirting with the young man as he was trying to position himself to steal a kiss from the young lady. Part of her wanted to stop the kinetic ballet before her eyes but something about the scene in front of her made stopping it an option that didn t seem viable. The girl had her man eating out of the palm of her hand until she finally allowed his lips to meet hers. His hands slowly reached around to her waist before slipping down further attaching themselves firmly on to her buttocks. Airi was about to say something when Ritsuko s eyes opened just a moment to see the actress then reacted predictably. She tried to push Nick away. He noticed the difference in her reactions and turned around. Both had the look of BUSTED in their eyes.

The two teens looked down at their clothing to double check whatever had gotten messed up in their passionate clinch.

Just in case your interested dinner is ready. Hopefully you haven t spoiled your appetites with your mid-meal snacks. , Airi announced and joked.

Nick couldn t look Airi in the face as he moved passed her. It was unmistakable that he was embarrassed in the extreme over having been caught. Though she equally observed that he seemed a little bit relieved that she was the one who caught him and no a family member, most likely his mother.

With a sigh Ritsuko walked up to Airi a little more comfortably that her partner had been and stated calmly before making her way to the dining table.

No offense Miss Airi but your timing really sucked.

The actress chuckled as she walked with Ritsuko to the outdoor dining table where not only family had seated themselves but all the workers of the ranch as well. The food that was prepared was enough to feed this small army. There was so much meat on the table that they must have slaughtered one of the cows. There were mounds of corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, salad, and more. When one plate of food was finished being distributed one of the members of the family went back into the house to get more. The muscular Junpei continued wolfing down the portions his stomach a seemingly bottomless pit. A slower pace was set by both Airi and Ritsuko who was more concerned with watching their weight but were in agreement that while not sure if it was the preparation or the fact that the meal was eaten in the spring like outdoor air that all they consumed was off the chart delicious. All three at various points wondered if this family would run out of food before they ran out of appetite. Yet by the end of the meal it was quite clear that they knew how much food would be devoured. There were actually leftovers available when everybody had finished their meals.

After the meal all the workers left home while the family members stayed. It was only then that the group realized that except for Nick the entire family was made up of the mother, teenaged women, and young girls. In fact Nick was the only male around. While the adults sat around the table chatting away while Ritsuko went back to playing with the other children until the sun began to set. Many of the young workers then left to go home while the mother then made an announcement.

All right kids, get ready for bed.

The youngest of the children responded as if they knew the comment was meant to them and not the older teenagers. They began to whine but the mother put her foot down.

I let you stay up late because we had company over. Don t push your luck.

One the children asked, Will Nick tell us a bedtime story?

The mother looked at Nick to get his reaction to the question. Nick asked Ritsuko if she objected to the request. She shook her head negatively.

All right. You ve got 15 minutes to get ready for bed. If you re in your in bed and ready by then I ll tell you a story. You goof around and not be ready then no story. , Nick stated.

Suddenly the children made a mad dash to get inside the house. Ritsuko heard a slight snicker out of her guy at the sight. She looked at him with confusion which he saw.

Don t worry. It should only take them 10 minutes to get ready for bed. I just give them the extra 5 minutes to horse around, just in case. , Nick admitted.

From time to time Nick would look down at his watch. At certain points he d yell into the house, your teeth should be brushed by now! Your faces should be washed by now! 2 minutes left!

As Nick began to walk into the house he asked Ritsuko if she d like to join him. An offer the young teen would hardly say no to. Before heading into the room Nick announced he was about to come in and that they should all be ready to sleep before he turned the knob on the door.

Opening the door he found 6 girls all tucked in warmly in their beds. All were eagerly anticipating the tale that was about to told to them. Nearby Ritsuko also found herself wondering what kind of story Nick was about to tell.

All right. Where did we end the story last time?

The knight was nearing the castle. , answered one of the girls.

Ahhhh, yes indeed. Now I remember. Yes, the knight continued on his quest to save the lovely princess from the evil wizard ..

Ritsuko watched as Nick spun an old fashioned romantic knight saves princess tale before her eyes. Not from a book but from his own imagination. Very much like such stories that her father read to her when she was much younger. However in the tale the girls would ask questions that Nick would weave into the tale to answer them. Throughout the tale Nick would act out the various roles as needed. He was the knight, the wizard, the fire-breathing dragon that was sent to stop the knight. The girls were a receptive audience.

After the final defeat of the wizard, the brave knight though bruised and battered searched the castle carefully until he was able to find the body of the princess. She laid sleeping on a soft bed. The knight moved towards her unable to look away from her beauty.

How beautiful was she? Was she as pretty as Miss Ritsuko? ,one of the girls asked.

The question caught Nick off guard who looked back to see an embarrassed Ritsuko. He smiled back at her before stating

Yes, she was definatly as pretty as Ritsuko.

The child sighed with contentment and the tale continued until he was certain all the girls were sound asleep. Then he finished the tale with.

..To be continued.

Readjusting some of the blankets to cover his sisters Nick then took Ritsuko by the hand and walked to the door of the room where he turned off the lights. However he didn t go and turn the knob to the door. Instead he held her by the waist and brought her towards him.

Looks like my sisters have taken quite a shine to you. Especially Bea. ,whispered Nick

Which one was Bea? , Ritsuko asked.

The one who asked if the princess was as pretty as you.

Oh she was just being polite. , Ritsuko said in an attempt to brush off the comment.

No. Bea isn t the kind of person who gives out idle flattery. She has fallen for you ..almost as much as I have.

In the darkness of the room Ritsuko felt Nicks lips searching for hers. In a second they found each other and kissed. Though they didn t fear being caught by anyone this time the kiss didn t go as far as their earlier attempt. When their lips parted Nick finally opened the door so the pair could depart.

Nick, I found out that there is a festival coming to town. Would you like to be my date for it?

Smiling with a little blushing coming out of his cheeks Nick asked.

Did Robin put you up to this?

Would you be angry with her if I said yes?

Not really. It is nice to be asked for a change. Are you sure you want to be seen in public with a half-breed? After all remember what happened at the farmers market.

Nick, I haven t forgotten about the farmers market. But I really want to be with you. Though Robin gave me the idea the fact is I want to go with you.

Then I d love to go to the festival with you. , smiling as he spoke.

A quick kiss between the pair and they were ready to meet the rest of the group.

The rest of the evening the pair rarely left each others side. The family environment she had been exposed to that night caused her to think about her own parents. In some ways it made her miss them a little less until she realized that thought then it made her miss them even more. Yet by the same token the fact that this family seemed to have adopted her as one of their own made the feeling more tolerable. If she had to be stuck in this strange world she could do a lot worse than to live among this family.

As the evening progressed Ritsuko found herself getting very sleepy. Part of her wanted to go back to camp and sleep but she also didn t want to leave. She didn t want to leave Nick and she mainly didn t want to leave this family atmosphere. Plus Airi, Mistress Celcia, and even Junpei were enjoying the night and she didn t want to spoil the evening by asking to go back. However her eye s were letting her know that the sandman had left a deposit and she couldn t fight the urge to rest much longer. She wasn t sure exactly when she finally went to sleep but when she did the sleep was deep. 


	4. Chapter 4

As Ritsuko s eyes slowly began to open she found herself slightly disorientated. The sunlight was peaking through some of the wooden beams above her. She realized that she hadn t been sleeping on Mike like always but was on a feathery or goose down mattress. Then came the biggest shock of all. She was naked in the bed. She searched around for her clothes and didn t find them. She started to panic.

Miss Airi! Celcia! Junpei! , she screamed out in fear.

With a burst through the door came not one of her companions but Nick s mother.

Its all right child. I m here.

What happened? ,Ritsuko asked still shaken up.

You fell asleep around the fire last night. We tried to wake you up but you were in a very sound sleep and wouldn t stir. Finally Nick carried you up here to our guest room where you ve been sleeping since.

Did Nick take off my clothes too?

The question had more than passing curiosity for Ritsuko. There was a something to be alarmed about as well. If he had indeed taken such a liberty with her what would have prevented him from taking advantage of her body in other ways? She didn t want to believe it was possible but the fact was that she was still had woken up in a bed with all of her clothes removed from her body and currently missing.

Nick s mother looked at her with a understanding that only a mother could appreciate.

No. Nick didn t undress you. That was me. I also noticed that your clothes looked like they could use a good washing so since today was wash day anyway I had one of the girls put it in with the rest of the laundry. It should be ready pretty soon.

Moving to a closet she pulled out a bathrobe and laid it out before Ritsuko asking her to get dressed and come downstairs for breakfast. The young girl was glad that the mother soon departed to let her change. Even though she was sure she had seen her own daughters in various stages of undress growing up Ritsuko was glad she was being given the respect of privacy. She quickly changed then followed the stairs down to where the kitchen was.

On the kitchen table was her school uniform. Cleaned, ironed, folded and possessing a fragrant smell when she held the shirt under her nose. She made a mental note to thank whoever did such a wonderful job. It looked better than she ever remembered it looking. She was also thankful that she had decided to leave her pistol back at the camp inside Mike. That could have proven to be embarrassing trying to explain.

So what do you like your eggs? Sunny side up? Over easy? Poached? Would you like some sausage or bacon? I did have pancakes made but those didn t last 10 minutes. , informed the mother.

Over easy please and sausage would be wonderful.

As the mother started preparing breakfast for Ritsuko she chatted away.

I want to thank you for asking Nick out to the festival this Friday. It really meant a lot to him. I was wondering though. Do you by chance have a festival dress? , inquired the mother.

Actually I don t. I guess I ll just be wearing my usual outfit. ,Ritsuko answer back.

No. That would be unacceptable. You deserve to have a festival dress of your own. ,the mother suggested.

Hidden on top of one of the chair seats the mother pulled out a long dress with orange, yellow, and red veils flowing throughout the outfit. It looked a little old but the visual display was stunning still.

The mother continued talking.

You see these festival dresses are for more than making the girl look pretty which it should. You see the history of our festival goes back a long time ago. You see there was this young women named Jenny who had fallen in love with a very handsome and rich young man. Needless to say the young man wouldn t give her the time of day. Her reaction to the young man was not unusual. All the women of the village felt the same way. However the young man loved to go from relationship to relationship and wouldn t settle down. Finally one day his father finally became exasperated with his son ordered him to make a choice and to marry since he was of age. He wouldn t choose a bride so the father had his son run a race. The first women to catch the man would be his wife the logic being she had to be strong enough to handle him. So the race was set up. Jenny however didn t like her chances of victory that day. She wasn t the swiftest runner, she wasn t what would be considered strong enough to take him down. So she decided on a different tact. She had a special dress made for her that she wore the day of the run. The races started and the women were in hard pursuit of the man. Jenny however had a feeling where the man was heading and knew a few short cuts. She got there fast enough to beat him there and when he saw her the dress made her so appealing that he slowed down enough allowing her to catch him by putting her shawl around his arm signaling that he had been caught by her. Soon they were married and both lived happily with many offspring. Since their deaths this community has held the festival in their honor. We continue the tradition of the women catching the man and putting her shawl around him. Of course these days when a boy is caught while the women wrestles him to the ground and tries to put the shawl on the boy typical tries to grab the women s butt, legs, or anyplace else he can get his hands to reach. For some of the boys they claim that that s the best part of the festival.

Ritsuko couldn t help but giggle at the last statement and the images of Nick doing such things with her. Then the mother continued.

This dress is very important to me Ritsuko. This was the same dress I wore when I caught my husband many years ago. I spent the night making alterations to it so it ll fit you. I got the measurements from your clothes. I had to bring in the hips in a little and chest out a bit and hike up the hem of the dress. Try it on see how I did while I finish making breakfast?

Going into a nearby room Ritsuko took off the bathrobe and tried on the dress. Seeing a full length mirror in the corner she looked at her reflection. Overall it was an amazing fit considering she hadn t been there to model it. Apparently the mother thought Ritsuko was bustier than she really was which the young teen took as a compliment. At the hips the fitting was perfect and the hem of the dress allowed her a couple of inches of leg to appear which would make it easier to run in the outfit. Overall a remarkable effort. She spun in front of the mirror until she had completed a full revolution. Then marveled how the dress flowed with her. Running her hands down the length of the dress she noticed a funny feeling in her heart. Something that this dress was doing to her. At first it was such a strange sensation she couldn t even find the word for it. Out of the blue a thought crossed her mind. It was the word she was looking for to describe how the dress made her feel. Running her hands from her chest to her hips what she realized what she was feeling was the word sexy. It made her feel beautiful in a way she had never experienced before. It made her very emotional and tears started to well up until enough collected to start running down her cheeks.

The door to the room opened up and Nick s mothers came in to announce that her breakfast was ready. However Ritsuko didn t respond. Looking in the mirror she could see the tears coming down and wondered if anything was wrong. Just as the mother got next to the girl to compliment her on how pretty she looked the teenager impulsively threw her arms around the mother holding her tight as she whispered a gratitude of thanks into her ear. The mother understood and responded with a sincere return of the embrace.

An hour later Nick was driving the horse drawn wagon with Ritsuko in it back to the camp. On her lap she held the folded dress Nick s mother had given to her. Holding it as if the item was the most important thing in the world to her. In many way it was. The dress was the first physical evidence she had of being accepted in this strange world where elves and humans lived.

I can t wait until tomorrow to see you in that dress. Just remember when you throw your shawl around me don t go high. Last year a guy s neck got hung up on the shawl of a women. Oh he s all right now but there were some anxious moments. Luckily Doc Moody was there to help. ,Nick stated

So how will I be able to recognize you in the crowd? ,asked Ritsuko.

Oh don t worry. I ll make it so you can t miss me. Though I do have one concern. You ve never seen me with my hat off before and because of that you might mistake someone else for me. For the race everybody is allowed to go without their hats and shawls. That way I suppose elves won t be trying to chase after humans and humans won t want to be chasing after elves.

Putting his hands up to the brim of his hat Ritsuko noticed his hands were shaking strongly as if some magical force wouldn t allow him to remove it.

Are you all right? , she asked.

Yeah, just a little nervous. You see in our culture you only removed your hats when you are with your most intimate partner. While I want to see you in that light I don t want to jump the gun and assume our relationship is more than what it really is.

Has anybody ever seen you without your hat on?

Just my mother and only when I m in need of a haircut.

Sighing Rits-chan understood what he was saying. She had forgotten the extremely conservative nature of the people within this community. It also made her realize how foolish her earlier mental accusations of him removing her clothes had been. If it was this difficult to simply remove his hat then to have removed her clothes would have given the poor guy a heart attack.

Nick, where I m from our traditions are different from yours. Oh we do have people who wear hats and shawls but not 24/7. Where I m from I d rarely have a shawl on my head and you would have seen it uncovered.

In some way s that is a scary thought. Yet at the same time rather pleasant that we didn t have to hide so much of ourselves from each other.

Then since it is more natural for me to have my head uncovered let me go first. ,she offered.

Untying the knot under her chin she removed shawl confidently. With the shawl on she had stopped putting her hair in its pigtail and now that it was unrestrained by the shawl the wind from the tree s allowed her tresses to flow freely. It felt so good to Ritsuko that she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation of the breeze flowing through her brown locks. Then she began to feel a different sensation. One that caused her to open her eye s again. It was Nick s hand against her left ear moving backwards to her hair.

When she opened her eyes Nick quickly removed his hand . Grabbing his hand she smiled as she assisted in placing it back on the side of her head and worked his fingers to allow them to run through her hair. Allowing him to feel its texture to continue to break down the shy parts of his personality concerning women. These were small steps for her but big ones for him. If he d be willing to trust her in the small areas maybe he d be willing to trust her in others as well.

After several minutes of enjoyment Nick finally stopped running his fingers through her hair Then he began to work at the removal of his hat. With a deep exhale of breath he pulled it off to reveal that he had short bright red hair, though in the front they were long enough to produce bangs.

Now it was Ritsuko s turn to run her fingers through his locks. His reaction was instant. He was definatly enjoying her handling of his hair. He smiled, closing his eyes to make the sensations he was feeling that much stronger. The newness of this sensation was intense and to the surprise of Ritsuko he brought his hands to each side of her face to help draw her closer to him where he passionately kissed her. The move surprised her that it took so little encouragement from her for Nick to start behaving more boldly. She began to realize that she might have to proceed a little more cautiously than originally thought with him.

Back at the camp Ritsuko waited until Nick was long gone before she shared the information she learned from Nick with the fellow castaways. Their biggest hurdle had finally been cleared. When the race started everybody would know who the humans were and more importantly who the elves were.

So what will be the plan of attack? ,asked Ritsuko.

The three adults looked at each other as if wondering who will speak first. Finally it was Airi who approached the teen.

The only plan of attack for you is simple. You are to have fun with Nick. Enjoy the night to the fullest with him. The rest of us will take care of the elf stripping.

The actress stopped for a moment as if she wanted to say more but wasn t certain how it would be responded to. However she summoned up her courage and finished.

That is because once this night is over with we ll have to leave.

The final sentence came as a shock to Ritsuko. It impacted her like a blow to the stomach.

Seeing the girls reaction Airi continued.

Rits-chan. You knew that once our mission was complete we would have to leave right?

The teenager didn t respond. Maybe in her head somewhere knew it but her heart overrode the logic of the situation.

You didn t think about that did you. ,asserted Junpei.

Scoffing at the remark he made the muscleman continued.

How dim witted could you be? I know love is blind but in your case it must make you incredibly dense and dumb too.

The insult was more than Ritsuko could take.

Oh yeah Junpei? The only thing I ve ever seen you love is bowl of rice curry. You keep claiming to love Miss Airi but I think the only thing you d love about her is the chance to have sex with her!

While understanding her anger Miss Airi couldn t let the comment go unchallenged.

Now Rits-chan. Don t you think that comment was uncalled for?

However Ritsuko was already too angry to listen to reason.

Miss Airi. Do you even know what love is? Or do just use your acting abilities to give a believable performance of what a person in love would respond.

The tensions between the members then went through the roof when Junpei stated.

He nailed you didn t he. You and Nick went at it like rabbits after we left. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!

Before either Airi or Chelsea could respond or react Ritsuko drew her hand back and slapped Junpei with all her might. However judging from his lack of reaction and the fact that her hand hurt greatly it appeared the slap hurt her more than it did him. Quickly turning around she stormed off leaving them not bothering to even acknowledge Miss Airi s attempt to call her back. She didn t stop walking until she got to her tank Mike. Leaning against the front of the tank with her other companion Piichi with several rolls of toilet paper it had produced since the last time she had visited him. The little white teddy bear looking animal was empathic enough to know that Ritsuko was emotionally distraught and it opened its arms offering itself to be hugged. It was an offer the girl couldn t resist. She wrapped the figure in her arms holding it tightly as she cried, not over the sting in her hand but the hurtful words of Junpei. She would have held onto Piichi for a lot longer had a voice not interrupted them.

Kid, can we talk?

There was no need to look and see who said it. There was only one person who ever called her kid . It was Mistress Celcia but as usual when she used the term with her it was only when the two of them were alone. The term was never used even in private as despicable and malicious. Like now it was being used to relax a tense situation. To ease the hostility that had been provoked.

Kid, there is something important I d like to say. If you hear me out there will be no yelling or accusing. I will simply say my piece and then I promise never bring it up again.

Ritsuko continued holding Piichi unsure what to do.

Will you listen to me kid?

Ritsuko wanted automatically to refuse. However in their time together she had always found Mistress Celcia s word to be honorable. She never made a promise that she wasn t prepared to keep. This fact made her trust the Elder of Common Elves implicitly even more than anyone. With a nod of her head Ritsuko agreed to listen but didn t say anything.

Clearing her throat Mistress Celcia started.

We ve been doing a lot of discussing about you Rits-chan. More than you could possibly know. We do understand how you feel about Nick. Believe me its easy to see. First of all he s a nice guy. I can tell he s really sweet around you and he s not faking it. I can also see the feeling is very much mutual. Believe me I ve been very happy for you. If I could work magic to make it possible I d want you to stay with him for as long as you are here in our world.

Pausing for a moment, Mistress Celcia tried very hard to make sure the next words she said came out exactly the way she wanted.

The fact is that we need you to pull this mission off. You are more important to this team than I think you realize. When the shark pirates attacked that village who used their knowledge of tank weaponry to turn the tide of battle? It was you. Who decimated the army of Ripa when you mined the bridge out from underneath them. That allowed Junpei to fight her one on one which got us our first fragment. Then there is the time you figured out how to get that mini-elf out of the rock when she got her drunk by Junpei s pouring the alcohol over the top of her head.

Mistress Celcia continued to recount all the way s the teen had helped the party in their time together. Some which she recognized. Others she hadn t thought much of but obviously held in much higher regard in the eye s of the Elder of Common Elves, even mentioning her recent assistance in saving the elf from the infamous friskers . It made her feel special to know just how much her talents were appreciated.

However there is one more situation that you may not be aware of. Remember even if we could get all the spell fragments by ourselves there is no way you could stay here. Remember the trial? We ve already established that your presence here is causing both worlds to become unstable. There is no way you can stay here forever. There would also be no way for Nick to come and stay with you in your world for the same reason. If it s this hard on you to leave now how much harder will it be to leave if and when we do get all the spell fragments and come back for you?

The speech was suspended temporarily, letting all that had been said sink in. It would be another minute before Mistress Celcia would speak again.

I ve said my bit, I spoke my mind. I ll now honor my promise and not talk about it anymore.

Starting to head back to the others Mistress Celcia heard the soft voice of Ritsuko.

Can you tell Airi for me that I m sorry for what I said about her .

Sure Kid. What about Junpei? Want me to apologize to him too?

The teen thought about the question for fleeting moment before replying.

Tell him he can drop dead.

It would be another hour before the youngster returned to her cohorts. Behaving like there had been nothing out of the ordinary Airi treated the girl as she always had. Junpei looked like there was a lot he wanted to say to her but kept his mouth shut. No doubt he was under the thespians influence of Airi who let him know what would happen to him, or more importantly what wouldn t happen between them if he didn t restrain and refrain from responding.

The day and a half between her return and the festival went very quickly. A skull session between Airi, Junpei, and Celcia took place to determine the best place if possible to catch elves early in the race. Of course once their presence was detected then the elves could very well scatter away. When Ritsuko tried to join in on the meeting they reminded her that her only task that night was to enjoy her time with Nick. On the day of the festival Ritsuko got to a nearby stream early to get cleaned up. Assisting her was Airi much as she imagined her own mother would have gotten her ready for a date back home.

After looking at the vision Ritsuko was providing Airi decided to do something very special for the girl. Producing a vial Airi told her it was a very special perfume that she would only use for special occasions. Some of it was sprayed just below Ritsuko s ears. A third spray in the cleavage showing from the dress. Now all that there was left to do is to wait for Nick and his family to pick them up. Looking down at her festival dress she became aware of Miss Airi not having one for herself to which the actress replied with total certainty.

True, but then again my mission at the festival is different than yours.

When Nick and his family finally arrived at the camp to pick up Ritsuko was ready for the evening. The cart was filled with not only Nick s family, but some male companions were sitting next to Robin, Lark, and Raven who all looked radiant in their festival dresses. She could only assume that these boy s were the girl s date for the night. The cart had been done up to resemble an old fashioned hay ride that she was familiar with back home on earth. Not only had hay been scattered on the floor of the wagon but bound bands of hay surrounded the ends so everyone in the wagon would have something to lean up against. His mother sat up front driving the cart. Once in the cart Ritsuko make a straight line to sit next to her guy who instantly threw a blanket over the majority of her body. The other girls offered blankets to Airi, Junpei, and Celcia as well.

Looks like it ll get much colder before we get to town this evening. These will help you warm. , explained the mother.

As the group continued to drive their way to the fair Ritsuko and her guy continued snuggling in the wagon totally oblivious to any comments from the group that surrounded them. Ritsuko was going to enjoy this evening just as she had been instructed to do by the others. Little did she know it would turn out to be one of the longest and hardest nights of her life. 


	5. Chapter 5

Ritsuko took in the sights of the festival as she walked through the town. After having been let out from the cart at the edge of town the mother had given each child some money to have fun with. For a moment the teenager felt as if she was back home again. There was no differences between the way these people were celebrating and any similar gathering from her past. Kids screeching with joy as they passed by her. Others trying their luck at various carnival games. Of course the stuffing of faces with cotton candy, candied apples and other sugary delights were on full display. The best part was having her guy right with her every step of the way pointing things out.

Occasionally she would spot one of her companions in the crowd. She knew what they were doing. Fine tuning their plan of attack for later. Seeing which spots would hold the biggest advantages to hide in for the stripping of the elves later. It kept her from truly enjoying her time with Nick.

"Are you all right Ritsuko?" ,asked Nick.

The question snapped her back to the fact that she was with someone who really cared for her. Someone who she was totally ignoring in her thoughts. She couldn't tell him the real reason she was behaving in such a scatterbrained manner so she made up a quick lie.

"I guess all this activity made me realized how much I miss where I came from. I'm sorry for behaving like such a ditz."

Taking her by the hand the pair went to a shooting game. Scouring the various prizes that were offered Nick saw something that apparently appealed to him.

"How do you win those prizes on the top shelf?" ,he inquired.

The game's barker pointed to what he thought the young man meant and when Nick's head nodded to confirm what he met the barker stated.

"You have to hit 5 out of 5 shots in the back row of moving targets." ,informed the barker.

Without hesitation Nick produced some currency and placed it down on the counter where the man scooped it up. Looking down at the array of guns Nick selected the one he was comfortable with and began to take aim at the targets. Ritsuko looked on knowing that even for her the targets were small enough, moved fast enough and was far enough away to be a tough shot even for her. Nick took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

Plink! The first shot struck its target it the back, falling down Nick took aim again.

Plink! Plink! Plink! Targets 2-3-4 fell in successive order. Nick then took a couple of deep breaths while closing his eyes to keep focus. During this time Ritsuko didn't say a word for fear of jinxing her man in spite of the praise she wanted to shower on him for doing so well to this point. When he was ready Nick opened his eyes and focusing on his target pulled the trigger for the final time.

Plink!

Unable to control herself Ritsuko threw her arms around Nick giving him a congratulation kiss for his effort. She was then stunned by his next words.

"I'll take the locket and chain."

The barker handed Nick the item who then turned to Ritsuko and indicated he wanted her to have it. Unlocking the clasp he placed the locket around her neck before relocking it.

"Sorry I don't have a picture of myself to put in it but I hope this will remind you of how much I love you.", he stated.

Ritsuko didn't need to hear the words though he was thankful that he said them. He had consistently shown his feelings towards her but sometimes a girl still needed to hear them from her beloved.

The couple continued through the festival. Occasionally one of Nick's sisters would come to him to ask for more money because they had spent what had been given them already. Never would he give it to them right away but eventually he would pretend to be angry with them for spending their share so quickly but almost always he'd give them a little more. Eventually Ritsuko had to ask why he was such a soft touch with the sisters and he explained.

"Mom knows the girls will blow what they're given in the first hour. Because of that Robin and I are given more money to hold on to. When the girls come to us we have to determine if the money is for food or just to play more games. Its up to Robin and my discretion if we give them more. Of course naturally they come to me because Robin makes them work much harder for the money that I do. Of course I'll never allow them to tap into my own personal funds."

Ritsuko couldn't help but shake her head in amazement. He was treating his sisters exactly the same way her own father did when they went out. She would forget how many times she would have to beg him before he would pretend to be annoyed enough to let her have her way. The two ate a little bit of food from one of the vendors but not to much so they wouldn't cramp when the race started.

The sun was just beginning to set when it was announced that the chase was about to start. Stopping off where his youngest sisters had gathered to watch the festivities Nick took off his jacket to reveal one lat surprise. If his red hair hadn't been enough of a clue to where he was once the race started his shirt would almost be a beacon to help her find him. It was almost a neon red color that was so bright it almost hurt to look at it. Even in a crowd she would have no problem finding him.

As the pair made their way into their respective starting spots suddenly Ritsuko was grabbed by Nick and brought close to him.

"Look I want you to catch me, and I will let you catch me but don't expect me to simply stand still and allow you to do it. After all this is the first time I have someone who will be chasing me who isn't family and I want to enjoy the thrill of the chase. Of course I promise you I won't be running as fast as I'm capable of doing."

Not soon after he broke the embrace the pair moved to their respective starting positions. It appeared that the boys would get a one block head start on the girls. It got the teen to wonder how the women would make up what looked like a large advantage. It could only be assumed that the boy's would simply wait to be caught by the girls. However what was the fun in that she thought to herself. Her perception though began to change when she noticed that both the boy's and girls were involved in a verbal taunting of each other. The girls yelling at the boy's what they could expect to happen once they were caught while the boy's telling the girls they'll never be caught. Some of the boy's taunted them even further by slapping their bottoms yelling to catch them if they can.

Looking around among her female competitors she saw them taking off their shawls. For the first time since they arrived she could see who were the humans and who were the elves. It took a lot of control for the teenager to resist the urge to start stripping and look for spell fragments. It amazed her how automatic the urge had come from having done it so often. In her mind Ritsuko hoped the Miss Airi, Junpei and Celcia were paying attention to who their targets were.

A middle aged man began to approach the podium between the various contestants as the crowd began to cheer wildly with anticipation of what was about to happen. Raising his arms he waited for the crowd to die down before he began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. Before we start the main event of the evening a quick review of the rules. Ladies, you will stand behind the line until I fire this gun. Then you will proceed to try and catch yourself a male. Men you will stand behind your line until I fire this gun about 20 seconds later. After that you can run in any direction you please. You have one hour to catch your victim…..I mean man. A man is considered caught when the women wraps her shawl anywhere on his body. Just remember ladies to avoid hooking your shawl around the neck area. We don't want any injuries. Be safe, have fun, and best of luck to all of you."

Ritsuko thought about the rules as they were explained. A women would have to be almost an Olympic sprinter to catch up to the males in the 20 seconds given though she was sure many of the girls would be close so perhaps before the boy's could get up their top speed they could theoretically get caught. However she also knew she didn't possess that sort of velocity. For her endurance would be needed. Though she hoped that Nick wouldn't run as fast as she had seen him do.

The girls began to jockey for position to be at the front of the pack. Looking around Ritsuko couldn't spot Robin, Lark, Raven, or any of the other sister's of Nick. Personally she wondered which of the boy's they were going after. Surely they wouldn't disrupt her plans and try to catch Nick too.

The man raised his starting pistol and shot it off. Immediately the women began to surge forward running at full speed towards the men who reacted by moving as close to each other as possible waiting for their chance to be let loose.

It amazed Ritsuko how fast some of the girls were. She considered herself a very fit individual but she was being passed with ease by many of the other girls. She found herself having to protect herself from the elbows that were being accidentally thrown. Even while running she observed how Nick was jumping up and down in the air making sure she knew where he was in the sea of men. No doubt he wanted her to catch him and was doing all he could to make sure she didn't lose sight of him.

Another pistol shot rang out and the men took off. A couple of the men near the back didn't even get the chance to move ahead before one of the women caught them. Those who decided not to move and let the women just catch them found themselves in for a surprise when the women rather than catching their meek pray bypassed them completely to go after the guy's who were trying to put up a degree of resistance.

As the men fanned out it became easier for Ritsuko to see Nick but that didn't make catching him any easier. He would allow her to catch up before putting on a burst of speed to gain sufficient distance. Sometimes after these speed bursts he would turn around, running backwards trying to encourage the lady to run harder to catch him. It was rather a rather frustrating situation. She wanted to catch Nick so badly but if he wanted to he could have kept up this strategy all night long.

It looked like Nick was about to put on another one of his speed bursts when Ritsuko fell down. She got up fast but when she took a step she fell down again. One more attempt was made to stand up and run but when she fell down again she clutched her ankle. The same one she had injured not too long ago. She cried out in pain which caused Nick to stop. At first he didn't look to know what to do. However her painful sobbing did cause him to stop and return to the lady.

Bending down Nick examined the ankle carefully squeezing it to determine the extent of the damage. Carefully squeezing the area his mind was distracted as Ritsuko grabbed him and pulled him on top of her. Within a second she wrapped her legs around his midsection and quickly tied her scarf around Nick's arm.

"Gotcha!" ,she proudly pronounced with a wide smile on her face.

Releasing herself from her victim Ritsuko sat with a wide smile on her face in victory. Yet it began to disappear when she saw the disappointed look in Nick's face. Something was definatly wrong.

"Is something wrong?", she asked in wonder.

Her quarry took a deep sigh. By itself that answered her question all to well. Sitting down his eye's refused to look at her. With a voice in obvious disappointment he elaborated.

"I had this wonderful plan for how I was going to let you catch me. It would have been so wonderful. Then you tricked me and I fell for it like a fool."

There was more to what he was saying than came out of his mouth and Ritsuko wanted to know.

"Are you sorry that you felt sympathy for me? Are you feeling ashamed because you showed compassion when you really thought I was hurt?"

"No, its not that. Well, yes maybe. A little bit. I'm just feeling stupid because I had all these great plans for how you were going to capture me and yet you outsmarted me with your plan to capture me. We were only about 2 or 300 yards away from where I was going to let you catch me. It was so close."

Nick pointed to a tree that was nearby. In many ways it looked like a bonsai tree, only significantly taller and wider. Feeling guilty for having upset his plans Ritsuko decided to find out why he wanted him to be captured at that spot.

"Now that I've captured you according to tradition you have to do everything I say right? Well my first order to you is to take me to that tree and tell me why it was so important for me to catch you there."

Nodding his head Nick stood up along with his now owner and began to walk together. He reached carefully around her waist and brought her closer to himself. It felt amazingly romantic to Ritsuko who did her best to continue her encouragement of his actions.

"Do you want me to carry you?", he offered from out of the blue.

The offer was quickly accepted as she envisioned herself being carried in his strong arms. As she was picked up she found herself surprisingly hoisted over his shoulder and being carried as if he was a caveman .

"Hey! I'm not a sack of potatoes!", she started to protest.

"True, although you both have your lumps. Personally I find your lumps a lot more appealing."

Using one of his hands be began to rub Ritsuko's bottom up and down which she might not have minded if not for the fact he was also pinching her bottom which she definatly did mind.

"Ouch! Stop doing that."

His response was to pinch her bottom even harder.

"OW! I said stop."

Not only didn't the young man stop he started pinching her faster. Ritsuko then started to squirm over his shoulders looking to get away. When she started sliding down his front her anger caused her to shout.

"When I say stop I mean…"

Then her knee started to rise up before she even got to the floor. Its aim was straight and true. It found its mark at the most sensitive area of the male anatomy. Right in the groin. Its results were automatic. The hands went right to the area that took the hit, the knees buckled causing Nick to drop to the ground and writhed in pain.

"STOP!"

Ritsuko stood over her fallen victim still angry at him for what he did which made her feel justified in her reaction. However as he continued to squirm on the ground the anger she felt began to subside. She could tell that she really did hurt him badly. Then came the thought that perhaps he was tricking her just as she had tricked him with the bad ankle.

"Nick, you better not be faking this or else I'm really going to get really mad at you."

That is when she noticed that his shoulders were shuddering a little as he lifted his head to show tear tracks that when mixed with the dirt on the ground caused mud imprints on his face. Where once she had felt anger towards the young man she now felt remorse and guilt over her actions. Dropping down to her knees Ritsuko held Nick's face with her hands.

"I'm sorry I kicked you so hard but why did you continue to pinch me when I told you not to?"

His explanation was simple and straightforward.

"Robin told me that sometimes when a girl is telling her guy to stop she just wants to see if he'll be man enough to continue. That she doesn't really mean stop."

A light went on in Ritsuko's head. She should have known it wasn't in Nick's nature to try and hurt her even for play. The thought had to be put in by someone else. Then he continued.

"Robin said that some girls like to play hard to get."

Ritsuko nodded her head and explained.

"Some girls behave like your sister said, this is true. That just isn't my way. I believe in being totally honest in how I express myself so there is no misunderstanding."

Nodding his head Nick understood. Together they got up and began to walk towards the lake again. Once there Nick asked what he could do to please the women who captured him.

"Well to start with you could kiss me until I'm completely satisfied with your effort. Don't worry, I'll help you along if you need assistance."

Nick's hand started to reach for the side of Ritsuko's head. Running it through her locks his hand felt towards the back of her neck. Curling around it he began to draw her head towards his. Closing her eye's she felt his lips against hers she allowed herself to be lost in the feelings of the kiss. Yet something didn't feel right about this kiss. She knew part of it was due to inexperience but she open her eye's she noticed that Nick's eye's were wide open. Separating her lips from his she spoke.

"Nick, the first thing you need to do is close your eye's if you're going to kiss me properly. It'll make the feelings of the kiss more intense. Then use your hands to hold me. At least to start where I put my hands on you, put your hands on me. Then after a while allow your hands to move on their own. Just don't try touching me in two very personal area's or else I'll knee you again. Got it?"

Nick nodded his head in understanding. After a few deep breaths he closed his eyes which allowed Ritsuko to resume their passionate kiss. This time his kissing and petting efforts were improved greatly. What he lacked in experience seemed to be made up in his natural instincts to please her. She found herself getting quite aroused by the kissing and petting. It was all she could do not to lose her mind over the emotions she was feeling. Part of her almost wanted to remove all of Nick's clothes and have him do the same to her and allow her to have his way with her sexually. All the words her mother use to tell her about how good girls wouldn't let a boy do those kinds of things with her melted away as lusting over Nick's body was beginning to consumer her.

Unexpectedly Ritsuko began to hear a low growl. At first she thought it was Nick's stomach getting hungry. Then the growl continued too long. It almost sounded like the growl of a big dog. Nick seemed to notice it first.

"Rits-chan be very still. That is a King Wolf."

Turning her head slightly she had to work hard not to scream at what she saw. In many way's the animal in front of them by maybe 100 yards looked like a wolf in many ways except for its size. It almost had the mass of a lion. It's razor sharp teeth were easily noticeable with it's growl.

"Do as I say Ritsuko. Climb up my back and see if you can reach the branches of the tree. A King Wolf is not known for its ability to climb. You'll be safe there."

"But what about you?" ,she asked with worry.

"We both can't reach the branch. However I won't be helpless. Don't worry. I have no intention of being dinner."

Looking at the size of the King Wolf it looked like a suicide mission to take on this animal. It made her wish she had packed her pistol but with no pockets on the dress and the thought having never crossed her mind that they'd meet any animal's much less a King Wolf it never occurred to her to bring it.

After having secured herself to one of the branches Nick picked up a large tree limb which had already snapped off. Holding it like it was a staff he faced off against his animal opponent warily. He showed it great respect but never showed a hint of fear. There was no doubt in Ritsuko's mind that if the creature simply walked away he'd be more than happy with that outcome but she also sense that was an conclusion that wasn't going to happen either.

After what seemed like several minutes of a stand off between the two foes the King Wolf made the first move. The creature started charging Nick who braced himself for the impact. At the last minute the King Wolf started a zigzag movement perhaps to throw off the target. However when he finally lunged Nick expertly stuck the middle of the branch in it's mouth. In the same movement Nick fell backwards. Using his feet and the King Wolf's momentum Nick launched the creature into the lake where it made a loud splash.

Thinking the danger was over Ritsuko started to climb down only to hear the warning voice of her love.

"Don't get down yet. I don't think I got him out there deep enough. King Wolf's aren't the greatest of swimmers but I think he's close enough to shore to survive."

Heading back onto the limb she watched as the creature struggled to keep it's head above water so it wouldn't drown. Nick was right. The animal's attempt to even dog paddle looked clumsy. When the animal's head went under the water and seemed to stay under the water she shuddered thinking she had just witness the death of an animal even though she understood that it had the same intentions for both her and her man.

With a loud splash the King Wolf's head crashed through the water again. It was giving itself one last gasp attempt to stay alive. As it got closer to shore it apparently found its footing because he began to walk out of the water. Shaking his body like a dog he removed the excess water from his fur and eyed Nick angrily. At that point Ritsuko knew this wasn't going to end well for one of the participants.


End file.
